In various substrate processing equipments which dislike foreign matter, such as production devices and inspection devices of semiconductors, flat panel displays, printed wiring boards and the like, substrates are carried while physically contacting with respective carrying systems. In that case, when a foreign substance is adhered to a substrate or carrying system, it stains the succeeding substrates one by one so that it is necessary to carry out a cleaning treatment by periodically stopping the apparatus. Thus, there was a problem of reducing the working ratio and requiring considerable labor.
For the purpose of solving this problem, a method has been proposed in which foreign substances adhered to the inside of a substrate processing equipment are cleaned and removed by carrying an adhesive material-fixed substrate as a cleaning member into the aforementioned device (cf. Patent Reference 1).
[Patent Reference 1]
JP-A-10-154686 (pages 2-4)